Jewels of Ireland

I loved it all. Could use more time in Dublin. Maybe skip Croke Park

A JEWEL OF A TRIP

The Allister/Mike team was tremendous. Everyday, we looked forward to our trip to share the beautiful scenery, the gorgeous weather we were fortunate to have, and the being with our fellow passengers.

Jewels of Ireland was a comprehensive tour of the Island

We hit many 'hot spots'.
1) Five Star - The driver, Tony Byrne was knowledgeable, entertaining, and safe on the winding back roads.
2) Four Stars- Most of the hotels were very nice, with pleasant staff & nice amenities. The Kinsale hotel had exceptional vistas, although dinner was the most mediocre included meal on the trip. The Skellig Dingle hotel was great top to bottom. I would not stay at Treacey's Oakwood Hotel in Shannon again - dirty, unresponsive staff. Galway Bay Hotel & The Mill Park Hotel in Donegal were very nice & had great locations & staff. While the Knightsbrook resort was a very fancy hotel, we could have skipped it & spent another night in Belfast. The Croke Park Hotel was great & a 15 min walk to the river.
3) 4.5 Stars - The sights we did hit were fantastic.
- Dublin speaks for itself.
- *The 'Walking Tour of Kinsale' was OUTSTANDING, led by historian & author Barry Moloney.
- A pass by Rock of Cashel & a visit to Blarney Castle were awesome.
- *The Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry was breathtaking, & the Blasket Islands museum was great.
- Cliffs of Moher were 'as advertised'. Dinner & show in Knappogue Castle was great! Sheep dog demonstration in the Burren in County Clare was surprisingly fascinating.
- the cruise on the Killary Fjord was incredible as was the trip to Kylemore Abbey Castle - STUNNING
- The Cliffs of Sliabh Liag (Slieve League) were amazing.
- Walking tour of Galway was a waste of time - horrible guide (I drink here. I drink there. There used to be a store here.).
_ *Walking tour of Derry" was OUTSTANDING - historian Sorcha Donner was our guide & told us facts about Derry past & present. UNESCO World Heritage site - The Giant's Causeway was awesome. Tour of Croke Park Skyline tour was excellent!
- * The FOOD everywhere was great - from fresh seafood to lamb to brown bread. (Special shout out to the Oslo Tavern in Galway that had the most fantastic seafood chowder EVER & in Dingle at the Reel Dingle Fish Co for INCREDIBLE choices of fresh fish for lunch).
4- Downside - We were rushed.
- ***We did NOT see "Brú na Bóinne". Many people on the tour had looked forward to this & we were not told before the day that we were supposed to visit (according to the itinerary provided) that they could not fit it in.
- We did NOT see "The Nine Glens of Antrim".
- We spent a total of 13 hours in Belfast including sleep.
- We only had 2 hrs at Blarney Castle & there was a 1 1/2 hr wait to see the Blarney Stone. Only a drive by the Rock of Cashel for photo shot.
- We had 2 "Stop & Shop" stops at "preferred shopping partners" - prices were higher than in any of the towns for the same brands.

On balance this was an excellent tour. The knowledgeable driver guide, 2 GREAT walking tours in Kinsale & Derry, Great food across the country, gorgeous scenery & castles, free time to interact with friendly Irish people all over, & all the side tours included in the price - all made this very enjoyable.

Sightseeing, accommodations, and meals were excellent.

It was GREAT!

I felt like we saw SO MUCH and a wide variety of experiences. The views and landscapes are extraordinary, the days were pretty packed, but I can sleep at home. I liked that the excursions were all included; I especially liked the Catamaran Cruise and the Cliffs of Moher; walking tours of cities and hearing from locals (especially Galway) was a real treat and a great perspective.

I wondered about the choice of hotel on the last night. The Croke Park Hotel was nice but very far from everything and no restaurants in the area for those who had an additional day. The timing and tour of the Crook Park Stadium was "off” and was the only thing the entire time that was problematic and didn't run as we had been told to expect. But It wasn't significant enough to ruin my overall experience.